PRTN's of Beacon
by Dr.Schadenfreude055
Summary: Welcome to Beacon, so these are the new replacements. Riley, who wants to be like the legends. Russet, who wants to build a family. Cobalt, who wants to find his sister. And Navajo, who wants to do the impossible: save everyone... This is going to be a long term, isn't it? (T for descriptive violence and crude language) UA: Universe Alteration
1. Prologue: Purple

**AN: Hello readers! I am and this is my first major project on this site! Now for disclaimers: I don't own RWBY, only my OC team; simple as that. With that said, I am pleased to introduce Riley Porfiro (in my first action scene, no less)!**

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_Purple_

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Deep within the crimson red Forever Fall Forest, a small pack of Ursi, composed of five Minors and two Majors, were about to get ready to head off to sleep after yet another unsuccessful attempt at hunting those pesky little minstrels known as Humans or Faunus. All the while unaware of the brutal irony that now _they_ were the ones being hunted, by a purple-haired Huntress-in-Training nonetheless.

Smiling with silent excitement as she hid in the trees above the unsuspecting pack of caniforms, the recent Signal Academy graduate prepared her silver-colored, extendable-bladed gauntlets named Sterling Suns for a certain method of attack that she always wanted to try.

"Now's a good a' time as any." she remarked before she jumped off her perch and onto the back of one of the Ursa Majors, stabbing one of Sterling Suns' serrated blades deep into the flesh of it's shoulder.

The demon's roars of protest against the unwelcome and painful intrusion in his shoulder and personal space were cut short, however, due to a round from the lass' purple high-caliber revolver, Dirty Harry, causing it's skull to explode with an extremely loud bang and a sickening splatter.

The other Major's yelp in confusion and protest at it's cohort's untimely demise was also interrupted when the beach-style tanned girl clad in upper-body dark purple leather armor and bluish-purple relaxed-fit jeans put the revolver back in it's holster and jumped off the headless cadaver onto the head of the final Major. "Hi! My name's Riley Porfiro, and how do ya' like _this _kind of porridge?!" she taunted with a huge smile.

She then stabbed her gauntlets into the shoulders of the demon and then jumped off it's bony head, her gauntlets' blades still embedded and tearing the flesh and hide like butter as she descended. Once she hit the ground, she turned her gauntlets so that her wrists were facing each other, pushed her arms _inside_ the Major, and then, using her semblance, pulled her arms away from each other… You get the picture.

The five smaller Ursi, after witnessing their superiors get brought down in such a grisly way (pun not intended), with little effort and in barely less than a minute; shook themselves out of their stupor of confusion and brainlessly charged toward the strange girl.

Riley, however, was far from afraid of these shrimps. She nonchalantly pulled out her revolver and dropped two of them as they charged, one shot each. She then _grabbed_ one by the throat with her left hand, and jabbed her right gauntlet's blade through it's jaw.

But even after those displays, the last two Ursi just kept charging. Riley sighed and gave a boot to the head of the closest bear, causing it to recoil backwards slightly and giving her an opening to get an extremely quick slice from her gauntlets in, decapitating the beast.

As for the final Ursa, the idiot just kept charging. She ran at the foolish beast, slid under it at the last moment, grabbed it by the hide, picked it up, and started pulling her arms away from each other. Then, using her aura-channeling semblance to add to her already immense strength, she _ripped_ the demon _in two_.

After surveying the damage, Riley dusted her hands off and sighed in satisfaction. "Well, that was fun!" she remarked. Then she looked up at the starry night sky which was partially covered by the Autumn-colored trees. "Hmmm, looks like it's pretty late. I should probably start heading home before my folks find out I've been gone." she mused to herself with a small laugh. She then did a look-over of her person, and felt a little sick as her whole body was absolutely _covered_ in claret and gore. "Ugh, and I'm gonna need a shower too…"

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And no one was laughing when she walked in through her house's front door, with her smile from the fight still somehow plastered on her slightly blood-covered face, to see her parents with their arms crossed and faces that simply stated 'we are not amused'.

"What?" she questioned with a shrug as she looked at each of her parents, her smile downgraded to a smirk. Then her red-haired mother pointed her finger at a clock near the door.

When Riley saw what her mother meant, her nervous smirk instantly changed into a flinched, wide-eyed grimace. The clock said 2:36.

"Oh," she slowly articulated. "...oops." Then she remembered that her gear wasn't exactly presentable to regular company, or any kind of company for that matter. "This isn't nearly as bad as it looks..." she nervously chuckled as she began to await for, likely, the last lecture she would receive from her folks.

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**AN: Sorry that it's a bit short, but you would not believe how long it took for me to get this thing rolling. Anyway, since I am still learning the tricks of this trade, criticism is appreciated as long as it's constructive. Special thanks to AlleyCatSunflower for giving me the encouragement to actually start writing on this site. Also, more special thanks to Ghost Fire 6 for providing the cover art. This has been and I wish all the patients who endured through this trial a good day.**


	2. Prologue: Russet

**AN: Hello, my subjects! Me again! As per usual, disclaimers: I do not own RWBY and the show would be much worse if I did. But thankfully, Roosterteeth and Monty Oum own the franchise. Anyways, introducing: Russet Harper!**

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_Russet _

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Downtown Vale at night was usually like many temperate cities; dark yet bright at the same time, damp, a tad dangerous, and, at times, pretty cold. Some people loved it, some people hated it, but most people were indifferent on the subject.

However, the thoughts of city nightlife and conditions were far off in the minds of a select group of people at this time. Why? Simple. Tonight, Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company (SDC), has just finished her part in an opera house event sponsored by the aforementioned mega-corporation.

Weiss, considering the fact that her only part for the whole night was done, did not see the point in waiting for rest of the event to end. As such, she made arrangements to get transport back to her home.

After she finished preparations, the long and lonely wait for said transport began. The young heiress took the time of quiet that was given to her to ponder over her future and her unusual decision to enroll at Beacon Academy. (Well, unusual for her ilk)

"Good show out there, Weiss." spoke a voice hidden in the shadows.

Weiss, suddenly broken away from her reverie of peace and quiet, quickly unsheathed her trusty multi-chambered dust rapier, Myrtenaster, and readied herself for a fight.

"Who said that? Who's there?" she warily questioned the mysterious voice.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you", the voice tried to reassure her. It was then that Weiss found that the enigmatic figure had a strange accent to it; and that made it sound eerily familiar…

"I will be calm if you show yourself!" she demanded.

"O.k., if it'll get you to relax", the voice acquiesced.

And out from the shadows near from where she exited the stage stepped a fairly skinny, red-brown haired young man clad in a light-brown-red casual long-sleeved shirt, a worn dark brown-red jacket over, dark brown armor on his shoulders with a symbol: an open dark-brown book laying on it's spine and shooting orange fire and red lightning, on the left shoulder-piece, and worn brown jeans, with a brown satchel strapped across his chest and laying on his left hip. He also had a pair of fairly large, rust-colored serrated chakrams holstered on his back.

"Hello Weiss, it's been a while, hasn't it?" The young man stoically asked her.

Weiss looked at the newcomer with curious eyes. She knew the voice's accent was familiar, and actually seeing the person it belonged to had helped a little, but the young heiress still had trouble figuring out exactly who this guy was.

That was, until, she took a good look at his eyes. They were a shade of golden and carried a stare which emanated an atmosphere that she hadn't seen in at least six years. And there was only one word, one name, that came to her mind, then her lips.

"Russet." she quietly gasped in realization.

"Hm, nice to know you still remember me." Russet stated with the same solemn voice and expression.

"You look-" she looked him up and down with an appraising eye, "-good. Really good, actually." she complimented.

"Thanks, you too. Although you look much better." Russet responded with a small smirk.

Weiss made a small smile at this flattery, "It's nice to see you again, but what are you doing here?" she asked the reddish-brownette.

He shrugged, "Just wanted to say 'hello' and to tell you that I'm going to Beacon too." Weiss raised a brow in surprise. "You're surprised that I know? Come on, the heiress of one of the largest corporations on Remnant deciding to be a Huntress instead of learning how to properly run the company would make big news with that choice." he explained.

"Ok, but you're also going to Beacon?" she asked.

Russet gave a slight scoff "What, you didn't think that Dragon Eyes here were just for show, did you?" he remarked, referring to his chakrams.

"Oh, well that's good. It'll be nice to have someone I know there" Weiss responded with some satisfaction.

"Likewise."

"But, how did you get in here?" she asked, turning her head to the side in confusion.

"Simple, I snuck in." He bluntly answered.

The young heiress flinched in surprise, "What?!"

"I didn't have enough money for a ticket and besides, both of us have snuck through worse than this place's security." Russet responded without missing a beat. "Besides, do you really think I could've gotten in here if I was in the audience the whole time? Remember there were guards right outside the door you left the stage through." he added.

"Uuhh.. That's a little creepy, don't you think?" she questioned him with a sense of incredulity.

Russet seemed to ponder this query for a short while. "Good point." he acquiesced. "Makes me seem like a stalker, or an assassin. Wait, is the latter what you thought I was when you first heard me?" Weiss nodded 'yes'. "Oh, whoops, sorry." he apologized, slightly embarrassed.

The white-haired heiress sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, since you're here, we might as well talk about how we've been since we last saw each other." she said, sounding fairly pleased.

"Sure, I don't mind talking for a bit." Russet stated as he found a couple of chairs for them to sit on. "So, how's-" he suddenly stopped, looking at Weiss in surprise.

"...What, Russet?" she questioned hesitantly.

"What happened? How'd you get that scar?" he asked, his accented voice tinged with concern.

Weiss's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this question and turned the scarred side of her face away in shame.

"I …. I-It's not something I want to talk about." she answered shakily.

Russet, seeing her reaction, laid off. While he didn't know exactly what happened, he guessed that he had a fair idea. "Ok, but I want you to tell me sometime, at least. I'm willing to wait until you're ready." he reassured the predominantly white heiress. The young lass took a breath, turned herself back to face the brown-ette and nodded her thanks.

"So I'm guessing talking about family isn't an easy topic for either of us, huh?" he remarked.

Weiss arched a brow in confusion and curiosity. "What do you mean both of-" she stopped. Looking at Russet's eyes, she saw that they had become more stern in their demeanor. It was then that she understood what he meant. She bowed her head down slightly in respect while still looking at him. "So that's how you found your parents?" he simply nodded quietly, causing Weiss to lower her face even more. "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked her, causing her to look back up at him. "You didn't cause their deaths and you couldn't in any way control the situation. And that moment was the only chance I would ever have." he explained.

"But-"

"No 'buts'" he interrupted. "Don't blame yourself for something you didn't do or couldn't control, ok?" he told her with a unique sort of stern kindness.

Weiss blinked at this, but curtly nodded in affirmation. "Ok."

After this, the two teens began to talk about their experiences of being hunters-in-training. How they were trained, what weapons they equipped themselves with, what modifications they made to said weapons, and so on and so forth.

Eventually, the sound of a fairly expensive transport made its debut, ending their reunion. "That's my cue to leave. I guess I'll see you on the airship to Beacon, then." Russet said while getting up to withdraw.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Weiss repeated while also rising from her seat.

Russet began to leave through where he first emerged to Weiss. "Wait," she called to him. He turned to her at this command. "It was nice to see you again, and to see that you're still okay."

He made a small smile at this, "It was nice to see you too, Weiss." Then he turned back around and went off back into the shadows near the stage entrance, his passing footsteps sounding more and more distant with each passing moment. Until they could no longer be heard from where the young lady was standing.

Weiss, hesitating for a moment, steeled herself and started her small walk to her ride home; knowing that with each step, she grew closer to being at Beacon and gaining at least some lease over her destiny. And feeling some comfort in the fact that she has a friend again.

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**AN: Sorry for the wait, I got caught up on some school things. And Destiny. Heh. God, that game is addictive. Anyways, thanks to my pal, ShadowPony12 for leaving a review! If you like this so far, make sure to review and/or follow/favorite. If you think it's bad or needs work, let me know please! Anyway, I will see you for your next appointment in the next chapter. Have a good day! (If you want to know Russet's accent, it's our world's British; English to be more specific)**

_**In memory of my Spanish Teacher's youngest daughter, who passed away in a failed surgery that needed a blood transfusion that came too late. I may be Agnostic, but may she rest in Heaven for eternity.**_


	3. Prologue: Blue

**AN: Hello! Me again! Hehe, some of you might actually recognize this guy. Standard fare: I own nothing! NOTHING! (for those of you who get where that's from, you get a cookie) Introducing: Cobalt Thompson!**

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_Blue_

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The halls of Signal Academy were dark and quiet in the depths of the night. Most-if not all- of the students were eagerly awaiting the next day's events by, ironically, getting a good night's rest. Graduation day was the next day, and although most of the departing students would have liked to celebrate their imminent freedom by partying as much as they could, the conditions and rules of the Academy wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior. They _are_ trying to train Humanity's next line of the best warriors in Remnant, after all.

But hey, they got to sleep in. That's something not a lot of students can say. (Isn't that right, Shadow?)

In one dorm, however, a computer screen was lighting up the room with it's use.

The user in question was a young man with short, slick, brownish-blond hair with blue highlights, a farmer's tan, a couple small scars on his face, and icy-blue eyes; dressed in a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and an open dark-blue long-sleeved duster overcoat carrying his symbol, a light-blue raven flying upwards leaving white contrails behind, on the back. Also on his person were light blue metal vambraces with fingerless gloves attached, denim blue jeans with navy blue armor on his shins, and a white stetson.

The hat-wearer carried a solemn expression as he leaned forward, anxiously looking over the screen's contents. He was searching for something, and the files of information just given to him from one of his contacts just proved to be superfluous.

He buried his chin in his hands, sighing in tired exasperation. "Where are ya', Laura?" he mumbled in his accent.

Finally having grown tired and frustrated with continuously looking over the redundant intelligence, the young man deleted the message and slouched back into his chair.

'Maybe it's hopeless,' he thought to himself in sadness, looking up at his ceiling. 'I haven't gotten _anything_ useful for the last couple a' years.'

"No, no, she's still alive; I know it." he quietly said to himself. "M-Maybe she's just hiding out, or-or- maybe she's having trouble getting word out to me, or maybe she _wants_ me to find her this way." he reasoned, but he was unsure of his own words.

Then, sighing in sad frustration, he leaned forward and buried his face in his hands again. "What am I gonna do? What the _hell_ am I gonna do?" he asked himself in quiet despair and frustration. He was so immersed in his own doubt and worry that he didn't hear the creak of his door opening.

"Cobalt?" squeaked a small, tired voice.

The now-named Cobalt jumped a bit in his seat and sharply turned his head towards the intruder. But he relaxed when he saw who was standing in his doorway, though.

"Oh, hey, Ruby." he said with a small smile.

"What are you doing up so late?" the young red-ette asked her older friend.

His smile dropped a bit as he shrugged. "I couldn't sleep," he admitted, which was part of the truth. "But you're one to talk, Red. What are _you_ doing up so late?" he asked her with a small grin, revealing a pair of wolfish canines.

Ruby crossed her arms at this, "I couldn't sleep either; and besides, I'm not tired." she proudly huffed. Only for a yawn to follow her statement not even four seconds later.

"Really?" Cobalt chuckled. Then he took on a perplexed expression. "Wait, why did you come to my room if you couldn't sleep? Why not Yang's?" he asked her.

The younger girl shifted her feet around nervously at this question. "W-Well, I wanted to see if you were asleep because you're graduating tomorrow and you need your energy." she acquiesced. "Besides, you know how Yang is if you wake her up while she's sleeping." she reminded him, hardening her gaze.

Cobalt shuddered a bit at that statement and the memory that came with it, "Good point, I'm _still _picking ashes and coals out of my hair after after that one." Then he smirked, "But what you're tryin' to say is that you want _me_ to tuck ya' back in?"

"W-What are y-you talking ab-about? I was just-" Ruby stammered, causing the hat-wearer to perk up an eyebrow. Unable to find anything to say, the young lass simply hung her head down in embarrassment.

Cobalt chuckled warmly, his smirk turning into a full-blown smile. "Alright then, come on," he said, still chuckling. "Let's get you back in bed, Red." And with that, he and Ruby went into the hall to her dorm with his hand on her back all the while.

After Cobalt got Ruby all tucked in and coddled up in her bed, he knew that she was going to be out like a light in little to no time at all. But just as he was about to leave the room, "Cobalt," squeaked Red. "I know you'll find her. Just don't lose hope."

The hat-wearer stopped in his tracks with shock written on his face. 'How did she- Was I _that_ obvious?' he asked himself in his thoughts. He was frozen in place as he contemplated what the red-ette just said. After a few moments, he mustered up a small sad smile and turned back to the young girl only to find her fast asleep.

Cobalt chuckled at this and quietly walked back to Ruby's bedside. Once there, he took off his hat, revealing a pair of small wolf ears. "Thanks, Ruby," he whispered. "Thanks for not just being my first-and best- friend here, but also for making me feel like a brother again." Then he leaned down and pressed his lips against the sleeping girl's forehead. "Goodnight, Ruby; sweet dreams." he quietly breathed as he silently moved away and out of the room.

As he quietly moved through the darkened academy halls, he pondered over his search and it's possible results and consequences. Only for his thoughts to be interrupted by the sight of a certain tired blonde standing near his room's entrance and solemnly gazing at him.

"Hey, Yang." he greeted the brawler. "Now look, I know what you're gonna say," he sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, "But don't worry," he interrupted her. "I won't push myself too far. I remember what you told me about your experience with, well, you know." he reassured her with a bittersweet smile. "But, I think you should worry more about Ruby." he frowned.

Yang tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Cobalt looked back in the direction towards Ruby's room, his wolf ears lowering a bit. "I think she's gonna have a rougher time here with us gone." he stated. "I mean, sure, she has friends here, but," he turned back to Yang. "We introduced her to them. And we're a couple of her biggest supporters and confidence-boosters here. I mean, we've always been there for her the past couple a' years and next year and the year after that, we won't be."

Yang looked down in contemplation. "I see what you mean." she acquiesced, looking back up to Cobalt. "But you know she'll still do great, right?"

The young man warmly chuckled at this query. "Of course. This is Ruby we're talkin' 'bout here." Then, for the first time that whole night, he yawned. "Alright, well, _this_ hybrid is gonna be hittin' the sack." Yep, Cobalt ain't a regular Faunus, he's half-Human.

"Alright," Yang quietly chuckled. "Good night, and I'll see ya' in the morning, ya' dog." she quipped good-humouredly in a mockery of his accent.

Cobalt merely shook his head while smirking, gave a two-fingered salute and began to head back into his room. But when he got past his doorway, he stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the blonde brawling bombshell again. "Oh, and one more thing, Yang," he started, causing the aforementioned blonde to look at him with an inquiring expression. The hybrid took a deep breath and quietly yelled, "Stop shooting my hat off, dammit!" Then he firmly closed his door for finality.

Yang chuckled at the remark, "Sorry, cowboy. But old habits die hard." She said with a warm yet scheming smile.

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**Ugh, FINALLY! You have no idea how long it took me to get properly started on this thing. Writer's block, procrastination, a school play, Academic League, and an overall weird schedule are to blame for the delay. Anyway, Happy Holidays, everyone! Hope you all had a good one! Thank you again, Shadow, buddy, for the review! And if you guys/gals like this story so far, please leave a review! Or if you think it's shite, let me know how I can improve! This has been Dr. Schadenfreude, and I shall drill into your brains again in the next chapter. Arrivederci!**

**P.S.: Cobalt's accent is American Southern BTW.**


	4. Prologue: Navajo White

**AN: Hi, everybody! Alright! Final stretch for the prologues! Once this is done, I should probably be churning chapters out faster. Disclaimers: Do I really need to do these every chapter? Anyways, introducing Navajo! (Yes, it's a color. There's a color called Navajo White, check it out.)**

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_Navajo White_

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'Run.' That was one of the few coherent thoughts running through the head of a young, brown-haired, dog-faunus as he darted around a street corner in one of the poorer Valean districts late in the day.

'Just keep running. Just get down these streets, and you'll live.' he rationalized in his head as he raced down the street. This desperate notion was reinforced when he turned his head and found that his problem, a fairly sizable group of angry humans, was still chasing him.

As he turned his head back round to refocus on running for his damned life, he felt like he had run into a brick wall and fell back onto his rear. The young faunus shook his dizzied head and looked up to see the back of what, or rather _who_, he ran into.

"Hey!" the person exclaimed, turning their head to see what had just hit them. The person's voice was fairly deep, revealing them to be a guy, and had a curious accent to it. The giant man's face was also rather stock and tanned, and he had a head of short and unkempt white hair.

'Holy crap, this guy's huge!' the young man thought in astonishment. 'He has to be _at least_ six feet tall!' He saw that the giant was wearing tight-fitting, white-brown leather armor with embedded chainmail, brown-black fingerless gloves, and two ammo bandoliers which he guessed was for the _huge_ battleaxe on his back.

Shouts of anger and hate brought the young man out of his stupor and he looked back to see the mob from before quickly gaining on him. He widened his eyes and started breathing heavily in fear. 'Oh, god! This is it! I'm done for!' he shouted in his mind. Then, the crowd stopped and quieted down at the sight of the armored person and the Faunus on the ground.

An eerie silence drifted across the street as the two parties gazed at one another. After a few moments, a member at the front of the angry mob, probably their leader, a balding middle-aged man, decided to speak up.

"Hey, nice goin' man." the leader called to the giant. "I don't know how much longer we could've gone chasin' this spry little-"

"'Spry little' what?" the armored axe-wielder interrupted, crossing his arms. The young faunus simply sat where he was, frozen in confusion and fear. The giant then looked down at him and held out his hand. "Here, stand up." he ordered. The sitter recoiled slightly in shock, but took the offered hand and was quickly hoisted up. The mysterious man then looked back to the crowd. "Why were you chasing him?"

The lead man was about to speak when a few shouts emanated from the crowd and some people seemed to be getting shoved aside. The cause of the commotion revealed itself when a red-haired woman, who looked about as young as the faunus, in her late teens to early twenties, came out of the crowd and rushed towards the young man.

When she reached him, she did what no one, especially not the faunus, expected, she embraced him. After a few moments, she broke her hug, clasped her hands on his shoulders, and looked at him with worry in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked him. The young man could only stammer in response.

"Do _you _know why they were chasing him?" the big guy asked the lady with a cocked eyebrow.

The woman rolled her eyes and jerked her head to the crowd behind her, "_They'll_ say that he was _leering_ at me," she said in disgust. The warrior gave an incredulous expression at this response and turned his gaze back to the crowd.

"It's true, though!" shouted the mob leader. "He was looking at her with the intent to rape, and we are going to make sure that that doesn't happen by punishing him!"

The giant glared at the crowd, "And what, exactly, is your 'punishment'?" he asked them.

"Th-they're gonna l-lynch me." said the Faunus in a fearful voice, causing the woman to hug him even tighter than before, and the armored man to sharply turn his head and gaze at the man in shock.

The axe-wielder's gaze then hardened severely as he slowly turned his head back to the crowd. "Judging by the girl's worry for his safety, you're lying." the big guy venomously accused the mob leader, anger visibly bristling off him. "And judging by the bogus excuse you made, it seems that you're just looking for some sort of reason to _murder him_." he continued.

Some of the crowd members started to become visibly uneasy at these words, but the leader simply scoffed. "Who cares?! He's just a damned animal! Just hand him over, already!"

The armor-wearer's glare hardened even further and he crossed his arms at this statement. "Tell you what, I'll give you two choices." he said. Then he brought his hand up with one finger lifted, "Choice number one is you all disperse, leave this man alone, and forget this whole thing ever happened." Then he raised another finger, "Or we can do things _my_ way." he said while slowly pulling out his battleaxe.

The leader finally started to look uneasy. "Uuuhh, and what is _your_ way?" he nervously asked.

The leader got his answer when the axe-wielder activated a mechanism in his axe, causing it to transform. The end result was a machine-gun, which he proceeded to point at the mob. "The highway." he growled.

The mob got his point and immediately turned tail and ran. Even the leader became a little wiser, and followed their example.

Satisfied with this response, the Faunus' savior transformed his weapon back into it's axe form, holstered it, and turned back towards the astonished pair. For a short while, no one spoke. "W-w-were you actually g-going to…?" the dog-eared faunus nervously asked, breaking the silence.

"Kill them? No, that's not how I work." the giant warrior answered. Both the woman, who was still embracing the young man, and the man himself were confused at this response. "But, I wouldn't have been averse to sending them to the hospital." he added, surprising the pair.

The pair then shifted their gazes to each other, and the man warmly returned the hug the woman was still giving him. "Either way, thank you, both of you. I really thought that was the end for me. I don't know how I could possibly repay you." he stated with the utmost sincerity. After a few moments, he and the young woman separated from their embrace. "Answer me this, though. What's your name? And are you a Hunter?" he asked his hero.

Said warrior moved into a position of attention, much like a soldier would. "My name is Navajo Pierce and no, I'm not a Hunter, but I am going to Beacon Academy shortly." he answered.

The young pair looked the now-named Navajo up and down with eyes the size of dinner plates. "Wait, DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE ONLY SEVENTEEN?!" they shouted in unison before covering their mouths in fear of an angry reprisal. But to their surprise, he started to chuckle and smile warmly.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot; and yes, I am seventeen." the eventual Hunter assured them while still chuckling. "Anyway, what are your names? And how old are you?" he asked them.

"Oh, I'm William, but my friends call me 'Will'. And I'm twenty-three." the dog-eared man answered the giant teen.

"I'm Anna, and I'm twenty-one." the redhead responded in kind with a small smile.

Navajo smiled at these answers and the people who provided them. "Alright then, Will, Anna; you two have a good evening." he said as he turned down the street, leaving the two. As he was leaving, both Will and Anna noted that the teen had a symbol on the back of his armor, a beige beowulf skull with two ammo bandoliers crossed in the shape of an X behind it.

After a few moments, the young pair looked back at each other, then Will shifted his gaze to the ground, blushing. "So- uh- Anna." he nervously started. "You want to-ah…" he couldn't find anymore words, he was so nervous.

The redhead giggled at this, "It's alright, you want to have dinner sometime?" she asked him with a smile.

The dog-faunus was shocked for a second, then he gave a small grin, "Sure." Anna then pulled out a pen, grabbed one of Will's hands, and wrote her number on it.

"Give me a call when you want to make some plans." she said, giving him a very warm smile. And with that, she left, a smile and a small blush frozen on her face her entire walk home.

For a few moments after she left, Will simply stood there, smiling while looking at the number written on his hand. 'Thanks, Navajo.' he said in his mind. As he started to walk home, he was hopeful that he would meet more people like the giant axe-wielder in the future. Uh, in terms of character and personality, of course.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the wait again, guys! I blame myself and my damned procrastination habits. If you're wondering what Nav's accent is, it's sorta Slavic. Anyways, thanks again to Shadow for all the reviews, for the ONLY reviews. Seriously guys, I need feedback, both good and bad, if I'm to improve. So please leave a review if you have anything to say, anything at all. With that said, I am Dr. Schadenfreude and I shall see you in the real first chapter of this story! Auf wiedersehen~!**


	5. Airships, Introductions, & Craters

**AN: Hello, everyone! Me again! It's time for the first real chapter of this story to get underway! Sorry for the delay! Disclaimer: How would I own RWBY? I'm just a crazy yet lucky high school senior… I know this is late, but I'm sure you all remember that Monty Oum has passed away. I can't and don't think I ever will believe it. One of the most creative and inspiring minds in the world; gone. Now it's up to us and the rest of RoosterTeeth to carry on his legacy. And I believe that we are gonna do just that. With that said, on with the show!**

* * *

'Wow, this is a hell of a view.' was the only thought going through Cobalt's mind as he gazed out the window of the airship, his weapon, a double bladed staff named Soaring Bleddyn, and a quiver filled with arrows on his back. Today was the day that he and many other young warriors had been waiting for. They were on their way to Beacon Academy, one of the greatest Hunter academies in Remnant's history.

But Cobalt merely focused his mind on the view of Vale with some memories of when he first entered the city quickly becoming refreshed.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" a happy-sounding voice asked Cobalt, interrupting the hybrid's thoughts. When he turned his head to the voice's source, he found a smiling purple-haired girl and a solemn-faced, white-haired giant facing him.

"Hi! How're you doing? My name's Riley Porfiro and the big lug behind me is Navajo Pierce! What's your name?" she greeted friendlily, extending a hand out for a handshake.

Cobalt warily looked at the offered hand then glanced at Navajo, who merely shrugged.

"Don't look at me," the armored giant stated. "I only just met her a few moments ago."

Riley dropped her extended hand and turned to Navajo with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "What? A girl can't socialize? Or are you getting jealous already?" she teased.

The giant did a double take at this suggestion and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. "What? What are you talking about?" he asked incredulously.

The purple-haired girl chuckled at this reaction before turning back to Cobalt, her smirk softening. "In all seriousness, I'm just trying to rapid-fire in making new friends." she reasoned, re-extending her hand. "You still haven't told me your name yet."

"Oh! Uh, C-Cobalt Thompson, ma'am." the hybrid answered, grasping her hand and firmly shaking. Riley gave a small smile at this and began leaning against the window.

"So, Nav, Coby-can I call you guys those?" she asked the two young men.

"No." the hybrid stated flatly, narrowing his eyes. While Navajo merely shrugged in indifference at his new nickname.

Having her answers, Riley continued, "Anyway, what schools did you guys go to before this?" she asked them.

"Signal," the two young men answered in unintentional unison. They then looked at each other incredulously.

"Both of you? That's surprising." Riley responded with a look of slight bewilderment.

The two boys then shifted their gaze to the purple-haired girl with looks on their faces that just screamed, 'What do you mean?'

Said purple girl shrugged, "Well, I went there too. And I'm pretty sure I would have recognized you two if I ever saw you there. 'Cause, well," she looked at Navajo. "You would obviously stick out in a crowd like a bleeding sore thumb." Then she shifted her gaze to Cobalt, smirking, "And I _know_ that I'd recognize a face like yours, handsome." she remarked, winking at the hybrid.

While Navajo merely shrugged at this observation, Cobalt's face gained a shocked expression and very quickly became red as wine. Not only that, but he was stammering too.

Riley, after giggling at the cowboy's reaction, then continued with her interrogation. "So," she began. "You guys got any friends from Signal comin' here too?"

Navajo nodded in affirmation. "A few, yes. I wasn't much for socializing, though." he answered.

Cobalt, whose blush was starting to die down, was about to answer until a familiar voice met his ears. "Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" The hybrid perked up and his eyes went wide with surprise at this exclamation as he quickly turned to where he heard the voice coming from.

"Hold that thought." he said to the two confused teens, a small smile obvious in his voice. He then started fast-walking towards where he heard the commotion. Navajo and Riley simply turned their heads to each other, nodded, and began to follow the obviously excited cowboy.

Cobalt quickly made his way through the crowd with a focused look on his face, Riley and Navajo not far behind. All of a sudden, he stopped, and the sight before him put a warm smile on his face. He found what he knew he was looking for. For in front of him was the familiar yellow and red sisters he had befriended in his time at Signal, Yang and Ruby. And the former was currently crushing the latter in a giant hug, which was then released.

"But I'm so proud of you~" the blonde brawler exclaimed, obviously close to squealing again.

Ruby looked down in embarrassment, "Really, sis, it was nothing." she said shyly, seemingly trying to downplay whatever had happened that was apparently so awesome.

Cobalt decided to make his presence known to the pair and help Ruby out by changing the subject. "Hell, Red, I figured you were gonna miss us, but not _this_ much!" he chuckled good-naturedly.

The red reaper suddenly perked her head up and turned around to find the familiar voice. When she did, she didn't even try to prevent the largest smile Cobalt had ever seen from reaching her face.

"Cobalt!" Ruby happily shouted as she dashed over to her friend to give him the biggest hug she could, causing him to stagger a bit.

"Hey, guys! How're you two doin'?" the cowboy asked while happily laughing at the given embrace.

"We're doing pretty good, cowboy!" Yang answered with a smile, since Ruby was a little busy embracing the hybrid to listen to his question. The blonde then tapped her energetic little sister on her shoulder, signaling her to release the hybrid. Ruby complied with the gesture and ended her embrace, she also stepped back a couple paces, slightly embarrassed, but still extremely happy to see her friend again.

"Great!" Cobalt responded, chuckling happily. The two young lasses in front of the hybrid then donned curious expressions as they looked at him; or rather, behind him. He followed their gazes and found Riley and Navajo standing behind him; with Riley having a friendly smile and eyebrow raised in curiosity and Navajo having the same stone-face but eyes also showing interest.

"So Cobalt," Riley began. "You gonna introduce us to your…" she shifted her gaze to the two sisters, then looked back to the cowboy, "companions?" she finished suggestively.

"Oh, right! Sorry!" Cobalt apologized, choosing to ignore the remark. Then he cleared his throat, "Riley, Navajo, these two right here are a couple of my best friends in the whole world, Yang Xiao Long," he stated, gesturing his arm to the blonde brawler.

"'Sup?" Yang greeted with a two-fingered salute.

After Riley and Navajo both nodded in affirmation, Cobalt then turned his arm to the little red reaper. "And this is her sister, Ruby Rose."

"Hi." Ruby shyly greeted, blushing slightly from Riley's earlier remark.

"Rose?" Riley asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Trust me, it's a long story." the cowboy added. After the purplette and white giant nodded in affirmation, Cobalt smiled and looked back toward the sisters. "We've been friends since we met." he said as he walked behind his old friends and put his arms around the both of the them. "And I think that was about-oohh…" he trailed off, his contorted as he pondered the math involved. "Two years ago?" he looked to Yang for confirmation.

"Yep!" the blonde brawler happily exclaimed, reaching an arm around Cobalt's back to her sister's shoulder. "I remember that day like it was yesterday." she stated cheerfully. "My little sister here came up to him when he was looking down in the dumps and asked if he wanted a friend." she emphasized her point by shaking Ruby by her grabbed shoulder.

Since Cobalt was in between the sisters, he was also on the receiving end of Yang's strength. And the jostling was enough to accidentally knock his hat off, revealing his wolf-ears. "Dammit, again?" he asked incredulously. "That's the third time today." he stated as he picked his hat back up.

Both Ruby and Yang looked at the hybrid questioningly. "Third?" they asked in unison.

Cobalt nodded, "First when the airship was landing at the dock-the wind blew it off-and second when the airship was taking off." he explained, looking at his beloved stetson curiously. Then he remembered again that Riley and Navajo were there, and he also remembered that he hadn't told them that he was, well, what he was.

He looked up at the two and found them staring at him with wide eyes. "You're a Faunus." Navajo stated simply.

Cobalt nodded, "Yep!" Then he took on another pondering look. "Well, half-Faunus, to be completely honest." he added.

"Ah, so you're a hybrid." the giant finalized.

The cowboy nodded again, "Uh-huh." Then he looked to Riley, who still looked shocked. "Uh, Riley? Are you okay?" he asked, perplexed.

The purple-haired brawler remained silent even after this question until, "I am currently using all my self-control to keep myself from glomping you and squeeing right now. Because your ears are absolutely adorable." she explained, keeping the same shocked expression on her face. An awkward silence passed over the group for a few moments until the sound of chuckling slowly arose. It was Cobalt, and he was openly smirking.

"Funny thing," he started, still chuckling and putting his hat back on. "That's pretty much, word-for-word, what Red, here, did when she first saw 'em." he finished with a smile and a pat on the red reaper's back. Unfortunately for the now blushing Ruby, this revelation got a small rise of amusement from everyone in the group, even Navajo. After that, Cobalt once again became curious, "Anyways, Red, what're you doin' here? Did you sneak on or somethin'?"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer her friend's question until Yang stepped in. "She's here because she got moved ahead two years for kickin' some serious butt when some jerks tried robbing the dust store she was in." the blonde proudly exclaimed, putting an arm around her sister's shoulder.

The other three's eyes widened at this. "Really?" Cobalt asked the young red-ette in surprise. When she nodded in confirmation, his face lit up with a smile. "That's amazing, Red! Great work!" Riley and Navajo nodded at the reaper in agreement with the hybrid.

Ruby sighed in slight exasperation and shifted her feet around. "Really, guys, it was nothing." she said, restating what she had said to Yang only a few minutes earlier before Cobalt interrupted.

Her sister caught this, of course, "What are you talking about? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is gonna think you're the bee's knees!" she exclaimed excitedly.

The responses to that phrase among the group varied. Both Navajo and Riley donned perplexed expressions while Cobalt palmed his forehead. "Who says that anymore?" Riley asked.

"Nobody, that's who." Cobalt responded snarkily, causing Yang to give him the 'stink eye'.

Ruby sighed in frustration, "I don't want to be the "bee's knees," okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." she half-shouted.

This little outburst caused Cobalt to don a worried expression on his face as he looked at his red friend. "Ruby, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Aren't you excited?" Yang continued, showing both confusion and also concern.

Ruby shook her head, "Of course I'm excited! I just-" she stopped and sighed, "I got moved ahead _two years_. I don't want anyone to think I'm special or anything." she explained, hanging her head down in a sort of ashamed nervousness.

Cobalt and Yang exchanged a knowing glance at each other before moving to the sides of the red reaper. "But you _are_ special." Yang responded, giving her sister a one-armed hug.

"Yeah," Cobalt agreed, also giving a one-armed embrace. "And if anyone tells you otherwise, let me know so I can give 'em the ol' one-two, alright?" he finished with a toothy smirk.

"I'd help with that." Riley chimed in with a smile. Navajo nodded in agreement, a soft smirk adorning his face.

Ruby bowed her head down, blushing slightly at the outspoken support, and smiled softly in thankfulness. "Thanks guys." she said softly.

Before the newly formed group could continue with their banter, they were interrupted by the sound of a news report which drew their attention to a nearby holoscreen. On the screen, there was a mugshot of a certain orange-haired felon. "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa." A professional-sounding male voice spoke over the showing of the photo before the screen turned to a white-haired woman in a black and lavender suit.

"Thank you, Cyril." she said as a bar appeared, revealing her full name: Lisa Lavender. "In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." she stated as a picture of a standard Faunus protest appeared in the screen's corner. "This most recent incursion has brought up rumors of city officials meeting to discuss the formation of a-" she was cut off as the holoscreen was replaced by a hologram of a middle-aged looking woman.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon!" the hologram automatically greeted all the fresh meat.

"Who's that?" Yang questioned.

Riley, being well-versed in the stories of the most legendary and skilled hunters, opened her mouth to answer, but-

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." the hologram stated, cutting the purplette off and leaving her slightly despondent.

"Oh." Yang responded, causing Cobalt to let out a derogatory 'Ha' at her, which in turn, made Yang reply with a light punch to his shoulder.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy!" the hologram began. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." the projection stated before it flickered off.

Right after this, Ruby noticed the grandiose view of the world below. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed as she hurried up to the glass walls and virtually pressed her face to them to get a better look. As she was gazing out, the group of newly made friends joined her at her side, Cobalt and Riley on one and Yang and Navajo on the other. "Look! You can see Signal from here!" she pointed out in awe. "I guess home isn't too far after all."

"Beacon is our home now." Yang stated, putting an arm around Ruby's shoulders again. Both Riley and Cobalt smiled at this thought. Their reverie was interrupted, however, by the sound of an armored blond teen who was having trouble keeping his stomach silent. "Well, I guess the view isn't for everyone." she sighed.

"Sure is a hell of a way to kill the moment." Cobalt noted, his eyebrows scrunched in slight worry for the almost-vomiting stranger. "Poor guy."

"Eh," Riley shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be alright."

"Well, I wonder who else we're gonna meet!" Ruby said in excitement.

"I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy…" Yang stated, rolling her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, Navajo decided to look down and performed a double-take which caused his face to take on a shocked expression.

Then, he looked back up with his eyes narrowed. "Yang, don't look down." the giant warned.

The blonde brawler looked at the axe-wielder in confusion while her younger sister decided to ignore the his warnings. Her face immediately gained a look of shock and disgust. "Oh, Yang, gross!" she shouted. "You and Navajo have puke on your shoes!" This exclamation resulted in a scene comprising of Yang hopping around on one foot and Ruby continually trying to get away from her, with both girls shouting and having expressions of great revulsion on their faces. Cobalt could only chuckle and shake his head as he saw the spectacle before him.

Navajo, meanwhile, simply pulled out a rag and started cleaning his boot of the excrement, sighing as he did so. "I don't see what they're so upset about." he said gruffly. "There are worse things to get splattered by."

"Yeah, but it's still kinda disgusting." he stated, still chuckling.

"Oh, I don't know." Riley started with a raised eyebrow. "I think I know a couple of people who might find that sort of thing hot." she finished curiously.

This alarming statement garnered expressions of shock on both Cobalt's and Navajo's faces as they quickly looked to each other. After few moments, they both groaned loudly in disgust; much to Riley's amusement.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Russet was lost in thought as he stared out the glass walls of the airship, his position resembling that of a soldier standing at attention. He was so focused on the view of Vale that he paid little to no attention to the introductory hologram.

"Russet, there you are!" a familiar voice exclaimed behind him, breaking Russet's fixation. When the chakram-user turned around, he was greeted with the sight of his old "friend".

"Ah, Weiss, good to see you." the young man greeted somewhat warmly with a small smirk.

The white heiress smiled at her friend, "You too."

"I trust the last few weeks since we saw each other have treated you well?"

Weiss hesitated for a few moments before nodding. "Fairly well, yes." she answered in a shy-sounding voice. Russet's expression turned solemn as he contemplated the heiress' obvious nervousness to his question. "But what about you? Have you been doing alright?" she turned the question back to him, cutting off his thoughts.

"I've been doing okay." he answered simply. Then, he looked as though he had made some sort of revelation on history. "Oh! I forgot to ask when we were at the theater; how is Dr. Anthea doing these days?" he asked fairly loudly and excitedly. Weiss raised an eyebrow and slightly tilted her head in confusion at this question. "Dr. Anthea. You know, the scientist who helped us-" the young man continued before-

"Oh, yeah! I remember her." Weiss cut him off. She sighed, "To answer your question, I don't know." she stated, causing Russet to don a slightly incredulous expression. "She disappeared a couple of weeks after you left and no one's seen her since." she explained.

"Hm," Russet mused, regaining his usual stoic demeanor and aiming his head down. For a few moments there was only silence between the two before the young man raised his head back up with a soft look in his golden eyes. "Well, thanks for letting me know." he stated graciously.

Just then, the airship started shuddering with the beginning of a descent. "Looks like we'll be landing soon." Russet noted, looking at the entrance/exit. "Shall we?" he politely asked, then cordially gestured an arm out toward the exit. "After you."

Weiss softly smiled at this gentlemanly behavior and decided to play along. "Thank you, sir." she stated as she gave a small curtsy. After walking past the young man a few meters, the young heiress stopped and turned back towards him, a content smile on her face. "I'm glad you're here, Russet." she said. With that said, she turned back round and continued her walk to the airship exit.

"And I you, Weiss" Russet quietly responded with the smallest of smiles. He took one last look of the view outside the glass wall for a few short moments. 'Right, here we go' the brown-ette thought to himself as he took a deep breath, straightened his jacket, and jogged towards the exit to catch up to Weiss.

* * *

_Back with the gang…_

As everyone was leaving the airship after it had finally docked, it was hard not to notice an unfortunate blond teen emptying the contents of his stomach into the garbage can nearest to the door.

Cobalt, being one of those people, looked on the poor soul with a look of apprehension. "Yeesh, poor guy." he stated in pity.

"Yeah," Riley slowly enunciated, "Now that I think about it, I don't know anyone who'd be into that sort of thing."

Cobalt was about to respond to this statement, but his words were lost when he and the rest of the group took in the breathtaking view of Beacon. The reactions among them varied, Ruby, Yang, and Riley all gave a wondrous 'wow' and Cobalt gave an impressed whistle and smirk while Navajo simply nodded in approval.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" Yang declared.

"Heh, you're tellin' me." Cobalt said in agreement.

It was then that Navajo decided to take his leave. "Well guys, this is where we part ways." he stated. "I'm gonna go ahead and find the amphitheater so I can get a good spot for the ceremony. Goodbye for now." the giant said with a polite bow of the head before he started walking towards the academy.

"I'm gonna head out too." Riley voiced as she moved up and turned to face the group of old friends. "Thing is, I gotta go meet up with some of my friends from Signal." she explained. "You guys understand, right?"

Cobalt smiled happily as he nodded. "Of course. See ya' later, Riles!" he stated with a two-fingered salute.

Riley smiled at this, "Count on it, Cowboy!" she exclaimed as she turned and began her jog towards the gargantuan academy.

It was then that Ruby finally got a good look at what exactly what was on Navajo's back. When she did, her demeanor and look became almost cartoonish. "Oh boy, here we go again." Cobalt mused with a smirk.

"Ohmygosh, guys! Nav's got a machine-gun axe!" she shouted in excitement. As one random student passed in front of them, she shifted her attention to their weapon. "And that guy's got a collapsable staff!" And another…"And she's got a fire sword!" she practically gasped and started to, err, float away. Seeing this, Cobalt and Yang turned to each other, nodded, and grabbed Ruby's cape, dragging her back to her position between them. "Ow! Ooww!" she cried.

"Calm down, Red." the hybrid chuckled good-naturedly.

"Yeah, they're just weapons." Yang continued nonchalantly.

To say that Ruby was aghast at this declaration would be an understatement. "'Just weapons'?! They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us!" she exclaimed indignantly. "Oh, they're so cool!"

Yang looked at her sister inquisitively, "Well, why don't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?"

Hearing this query, the red reaper pulled out her signature weapon and immediately extended, nearly hitting Cobalt, who ducked with a 'Whoa!' to avoid getting conked in the head. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose!" she said, practically cuddling her oversized scythe. "I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better…" she trailed off dejectedly.

"Ruby, come on," Yang began as she pulled her sister's hood down, "why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

"Yeah Red, it'd definitely be a very good experience for you." Cobalt added encouragingly.

Ruby pulled her hood back and looked at the two of them curiously. "But... why would I need friends if I have you guys?"

Not even five seconds after she said this, a large group of people suddenly appeared behind Yang. "Well, actually, myfriendsarehere. Gottagocatchup.'Kay,c'ya,bye." she blurted out before she took off with the group leaving behind a cloud of dust(somehow) which left Cobalt coughing, and a heavily disoriented and spinning Ruby.

"Wait, where are you going?! Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?" she babbled as she continued spinning with dizzy eyes.

"Damn, those guys must have some quick feet." Cobalt coughed out. When the cloud finally cleared, he noticed Ruby had stopped spinning, but still looked heavily disoriented. "Red, are you okay?"

"I don't know what I'm doing…" she whined as she fell backwards onto a pile of luggage that apparently appeared out of nowhere, scattering some of the cases.

Cobalt would've chuckled at this mishap, but…

"What are you doing?!"

Cobalt jumped at the sudden and loud intrusion and Ruby was almost immediately shaken out of her stupor. Two people were staring down at the red-ette; a visibly outraged girl in a white dress and a confused young man in brown with large chakrams holstered on his back, to be exact.

"Uh, sorry!" Ruby cried out as she began standing back up with Cobalt's assistance.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?!" She turned to Cobalt angrily, "What about you?"

"Uuuhh…" was Cobalt's only response to the scary lady.

"Weiss, calm down." the young man in brown said calmly to his companion. "It was obviously an accident and not one out of carelessness."

"Thank you!" Cobalt said graciously as Ruby picked up one of the misplaced cases.

The now-named Weiss huffed, "Accident or not, she still should've been more careful. You know that, Russet" she declared indignantly, causing her friend to sigh in slight exasperation. She performed a double take when she saw the flustered red clutz holding one of her cases. "Give me that!" she shouted as she snatched the parcel from Ruby's nervous grip. The mad(in both meanings of the word) albino then pulled a bottle containing a red substance out of the case. "This is _Dust_! Mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry!"

Cobalt and Ruby only looked at each other in confusion, "Uuuhhh…"

Weiss scoffed angrily, "What are you two, brain-dead?! **DUST**! Fire! Lightning! Water! Energy!" she shouted, shaking the bottle with each word. Somehow unbeknownst to her and her two targets, the cork sealing the bottle had come loose in the case's jostling. And each shake sent out a puff of Dust into Cobalt and Ruby's mouths and noses.

"Uh, Weiss, I really don't think you should-" Russet started before he took sight of Ruby's and Cobalt's Dust-irritated faces and decided to slowly back away.

"Are you two even listening to me?" Weiss questioned the two incredulously, not noticing Russet's movements. "Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

The pair couldn't really react to the albino princess's rudeness since their noses decided they had enough of the tickling and harshly activated. While Ruby's sneeze could be considered cute by some, Cobalt's was loud and abrasive. Nonetheless, the sudden reactions made the Dust cloud in front of them and Weiss combust with a spectacular-

'KABOOM!'

Russet had to shield his eyes a little from the shockwave and didn't notice the vial that Weiss was holding flying away. When he put his arm down, he noticed that the explosion didn't just consist of fire, but also of lightning and (somehow)ice. When the combustion had died down, he returned to his original position beside his friend, hoping to try to calm the coming tirade.

"Unbelievable!" Weiss shouted as her anger shook the soot off of her. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" While she began her rant, Ruby, still relatively clean somehow, was poking her fingers at each other in embarrassment while Cobalt, covered in residue, was visibly dizzy and babbling incoherently.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry!" Ruby exclaimed as Cobalt regained his bearings and shook himself like a dog to remove the soot. When he was finished, he noticed that everyone around him was staring at the top of his head. "Where's your hat?" the cowboy's old friend asked.

"What're you talkin' about? It's right-" Cobalt's words were lost as he felt where his hat usually was. It was gone. He immediately gained a panicked expression and darted his head around, looking for it. Until he remembered that the school was built on a cliff and looked out toward the edge. "Oh, no!" he shouted dejectedly. "Argh, the explosion must've blown it off the damn cliff!" he hung his head in sadness.

"Wait, _we_ could have been blown off the cliff and you're more worried about your _hat?!_" Weiss shouted incredulously.

"Shut up, you wouldn't understand." Cobalt mumbled dejectedly as Ruby began patting his shoulders in comfort.

"Ugh, you complete _dolts_!" the dress-wearing albino shrieked. She then turned her attention to the red-ette. "And _you_! Aren't you a little _young_ to be attending Beacon?"

This immediately caught Ruby off-guard and made Cobalt raise his head back up, enmity easily visible on his face.

Russet, in fear of an even more violent and explosive altercation, grabbed Weiss's shoulder and pulled her into a position that faced him. "Weiss, calm down." he ordered, his voice lingering between sternness and complacency. "They obviously didn't mean to cause that explosion. And frankly, you _did _shake that bottle." he pointed out.

Weiss's expression resembled that of slight betrayal but Cobalt stepped forward before she could respond. "Yeah _princess_!" he nearly hissed. "So don't-"

It's heiress, actually." a calm voice interjected, garnering everyone's attention towards a black-haired young woman dressed predominantly in black, white and purple and had a small black bow on top of her head.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." the mysterious newcomer stated.

"Finally! Some recognition!" Weiss exclaimed smugly. This response garnered an eye roll and a scoff from Cobalt and narrowed eyes from Russet.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and _questionable_ business partners." the bow-wearing brunette continued in a matter-of-fact tone.

The heiress, in all her flustered anger could not find the proper words to respond to such an accusation. And while Ruby attempted to muffle her snickering, Cobalt didn't even try to mask his open chuckling and smirk.

Weiss then turned to Russet, silently asking for support. "Wait, you're expecting me of all people to side with your company? _Really_?" he questioned incredulously. His albino companion's response was an expression of slight shock, then frustration as she growled and began stomping off toward the academy.

The brown-ette walked up to Cobalt and Ruby, a sheepish and apologetic expression on his face "I am very, very sorry about my friend." he said as some helpers appeared and began picking up the cluttered luggage.

The hatless cowboy waved him off, "Eh, it's alright. At least you tried to help." he stated with a small smile. All of a sudden, a familiar white stetson landed perfectly on his head with a 'flop!'. Startled, Cobalt grabbed the object, held it in front of himself, and instantly smiled. "Well, whaddaya' know!" he laughed, looking up. "It was only blasted straight up!"

This garnered a small chuckle out of Russet. "Listen, I promise me and her will make this up to you guys, alright?" With that said, he began jogging past the helpers, who had just finished cleaning up the mess, and towards his grumpy friend.

"I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day…" Ruby sighed.

Her friend scoffed slightly, "You can say that again."

The red reaper chuckled, "So, what's-" she began, turning with Cobalt to where the strange brunette was only to find that she was already walking away. Feeling slightly dejected, Ruby collapsed onto her knees then onto her back. "Welcome to Beacon…" she muttered as her old friend sat down next to her with a worried expression then laid down with a groan.

After a few moments, a shadow fell over the two misfits. When they looked to it's source, they found a familiar-looking blond teen offering a hand to each of them. "Hey. I'm Jaune" he greeted.

The red-ette smiled and took the lad's hand. "Ruby."

Cobalt propped himself up on an elbow before also grabbing the other blond's hand. "Cobalt Thompson." he greeted with a toothy smirk and a pat on the shoulder.

When both of the teens were standing again, both Ruby and Cobalt gave Jaune a curious look. Then the red-ette let out a small snort, "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

* * *

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" Jaune cried out in protest. He and Ruby had been arguing for the past few minutes about Jaune's 'problem', with Cobalt throwing in some commentary here and there.

"Hey, I wasn't judgin' ya', man. In fact, I felt pretty damn sorry for ya'." Cobalt stated.

Ruby, however, was laughing"And hey, I'm sorry but 'Vomit Boy' was the first thing to come to mind." she admitted.

Jaune decided to get a little snarky at this and smiled maliciously. "Oh, yeah? Well what if I called you two 'Crater-Faces'?"

Ruby's reaction was an immediate "Hey that explosion was an accident!" While Cobalt groaned loudly.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc!" the blond armored teen declared confidently. "Short. Sweet. Rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it!"

Cobalt and Ruby casted amused sideways glances at each other at this statement. "Do they, now?" the cowboy asked teasingly.

"They will! I-I hope they will, anyway." the armored young man stuttered. "My mom always says that… Never mind." he trailed off dejectedly.

The pair of old friends chuckled at the sight of Jaune's awkwardness. "Soo…" Ruby began; Cobalt knew where she was heading and wisely decided to step a few meters away. "I got this thing!" she said as she whipped out Crescent Rose and stabbed the blade into the ground.

To say Jaune was surprised would be an understatement. "Whoa! I-Is that a scythe?"

"It's also a customizable, high-impact, sniper rifle!" the red-ette stated proudly.

"A-wha…?" Jaune obviously wasn't familiar with weaponology.

"It's also a gun, and one you do _not_ wanna be on the business end of, trust me!" Cobalt explained with a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of his head.

A look of realization shone across the armored teen's face. "Oh. That's cool!" Then he turned to the cowboy curiously. "What about you? What's your weapon?"

Cobalt grinned at this question. "This baby, right here." he stated as he pulled Soaring Bleddyn off his back, twirled it around a few times, then stabbed a blade into the ground, similar to what Ruby had just did. "I call her Soaring Bleddyn." he said proudly. "She also turns into a bow, and thanks to Red here," he gestured a hand to his old friend who waved a bit. "I have many different kinds of arrows that I can use. Concussive, armor-piercing, explosive, you name it." Then Cobalt noticed that Jaune was looking at him strangely. "What? What is it?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but what's with your teeth?" he asked.

Cobalt tilted his head in confusion for a few seconds until, "Oh, right! Heh, sorry!" he exclaimed before lifting his hat up with a "Howdy!" and putting it back down.

Immediately, Jaune looked as if a lightbulb had gone on in his head. "Oh, so you're a Faunus."

Cobalt nodded. "Uh-huh." Then he narrowed his eyes in thought. "Well, half-Faunus to be exact."

"Really?" the armored young man asked and the hybrid nodded again. "Well, what's the other half?"

An awkward silence hung in the air for what seemed like the longest time after that question was asked. Cobalt and Ruby looked shell-shocked while Jaune came to realize what he just asked after a few moments and face-palmed.

Then, the sound of chuckling rose from the cowboy, who now had an amused smirk on his face. "Don't worry, Jaune." he said, still chuckling. "That actually wasn't the first time someone's asked me that. Not by a long shot." Cobalt then gained a curious expression, "Anyway, what kinda heat are you packin'?"

Even after the change in subject, the uncomfortable look on Jaune's face still didn't go away. Nevertheless, he motioned to answer the cowboy's question. "I, uh.. I got this sword!" he stated as he unsheathed a sword from the scabbard on his belt, much to Ruby's interest. "Yeah and I've got a shield too!" he finished as he took his scabbard which expanded into said shield.

"So what do they do?" Ruby asked curiously as she reached to touch the shield. Unfortunately for Jaune, her hand's contact reactivated the extension mechanism which apparently was on a hair-trigger. The ensuing reaction caused Jaune to awkwardly fumble around with the shield, trying to keep it in his grip.

After that short struggle, Jaune was able to put the damned thing back in it's place and shrunk it back to it's original shape. "The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just… put it away…" he explained, obviously feeling underpowered.

"Uuhh, wouldn't weigh the same, though?" Cobalt asked. Jaune's one response was a dejected sigh and a nod.

Ruby giggled a bit at this, "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, I guess I did go a _little_ overboard when designing it." she admitted.

This statement earned an amused glance from Cobalt. "That is probably the biggest understatement I've ever heard you say, Red." he chuckled. And although that earned him the 'stink eye' from Ruby, she was smiling while giving it.

"Wait a minute, hold the phone here!" Jaune exclaimed. "She _made_ that?!"

"Of course!" the red-ette responded. All students at Signal forge their own weapons." She tilted her head questioningly. "Didn't you make yours?"

"Judging by the looks of the blade, I don't think so." Cobalt guessed before Jaune could answer. Turns out his hypothesis wasn't too far off as the armored blond nodded in affirmation. "I mean, not that it's a bad sword. In fact it looks pretty impressive despite the age" the hybrid explained in admiration.

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah! And besides, not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days!"

"Yeah, the classics." Jaune said in a slightly uneasy tone, even though he was smiling.

"So why'd you helps us out back there? In the courtyard?" Ruby asked her new friend after she and Cobalt holstered their weapons.

Jaune shrugged nonchalantly in response. "Eh, why not? My mom always says, 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'." That sentiment was enough to put a small, sad smile on Cobalt's face.

"Hey, where are we going?" Ruby asked, concerning the fact that they were simply wandering aimlessly.

This question cause Cobalt to straighten his expression. "I don't know, I thought we were just following him." he admitted, pointing at Jaune.

"Really? I was following you guys!" Jaune responded. This revelation caused Ruby to start giggling and Cobalt to sigh in amused exasperation. "Y-You guys think there might be a directory?" the awkward armor-wearer asked. "Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark?"

Cobalt could only chuckle at Jaune's suggestions. "Of course _you'd_ think about food after being on that airship." he stated, much to his new friend's chagrin.

"So, uh… Is that a no?" Jaune asked, his shoulders slumped.

Ruby laughed softly, "Yeah, that's a no." she answered with a sympathetic smile.

* * *

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

**AN: ...Goodbye, Monty. End log.**


	6. Orientations and Slumber Parties

**AN: Ha ha! Hello, everyone! Guess who! Sorry that the last chapter took so long, I got pretty heavily sidetracked, again. Alright, let's get this over with. Disclaimers(does anybody even read these?) : I do not own RWBY, I only own my characters.**

* * *

"Ugh, of course; we wouldn't check the obvious place first." Cobalt griped as he, Jaune, and Ruby stood outside the Beacon auditorium. They had been wandering around for a short while and had made little progress in finding out where exactly they were supposed to go for the orientation. Until one of them had finally suggested they check out the largest building on the campus, that is.

While Jaune merely shrugged sheepishly at the hybrid's statement, Ruby decided to look a bit more on the bright side. "Well, at least it was a nice walk!" she commented with a smile. Her remark gained it's intended effect when Cobalt gave a smiling chuckle with an affirmative nod. "Come on, guys. Let's head in."

As Ruby, Cobalt, and Jaune entered the amphitheater, they were nearly struck dumb at how immense the building seemed. And at how many people were inside and how densely packed they were.

As the trio scanned the crowds of unfamiliar faces, a fairly cheery voice called out to them.

"Ruby! Cobalt! Over here!" It was Yang. "I saved you guys a couple of spots!" she shouted at the two old friends, waving excitedly. Right beside her was Riley, surprisingly, that omnipresent friendly smile still on her face.

"And that's our cue to go, come on, Red." Cobalt beckoned to Ruby, jerking his head toward Yang.

"Oh, right!" she exclaimed in agreement. She then turned to Jaune, "Sorry, but we gotta go! See you after the ceremony!" she said as she began walking with her hybrid friend towards her sister.

"Later, Jaune!" Cobalt exclaimed as he gave a short, two-fingered salute while walking backwards. As he turned back around he and Ruby started a slow jog towards Yang.

"Hey, wait!" the clumsy blond desperately called out to the pair. Unfortunately for him, his cries went virtually unheard. "Oh, great. Where am I supposed to find more nice, quirky people to talk to now?" he bemoaned rhetorically. But of course, Jaune being Jaune, he failed to notice that an armored redhead was gazing at him with thinly veiled interest.

As Cobalt and Ruby finished approaching Yang and Riley, the purplette was the first to speak. "Hey guys! How's your day been going so far?" she asked with a friendly wave.

"You mean since Yang _ditched _us and we _exploded_?!" Ruby responded bitterly, angrily crossing her arms.

This retort caused Riley and Yang to don incredulous expressions, although Yang's had a more humoured glint to it.

"Yikes! Meltdown already? Even for you, Cobalt?" the blonde brawler asked in light-hearted surprise.

Cobalt sighed in mild exhaustion, "No. We actually exploded, Yang." he clarified. "There was some fire, some lightning, and-" he stopped himself for a second, "I think some ice?" he finished unsurely, turning to Ruby for confirmation and receiving a shrug as an answer. Shaking his head, he continued, "Anyway, you add it all up, it leaves a nice little crater right out in the front of the school." he finished with a straight face.

While Riley still had the same wide-eyed look on her face after her hybrid friend's explanation, Yang was grinning. "Are you guys being sarcastic?" she asked in good humor, but with a dash of nervousness.

While Cobalt's response to the question was a mute shaking of his head, Ruby's was, of course, far more vocal.

"Ugh, I wish!" the red-ette cried. "I tripped over some crabby girls luggage, and then she yelled at me and Cobalt, but some nice guy tried to calm her down, but then she yelled at us again, and then we sneezed, and then we _exploded_, and then Cobalt's hat was blown off, and then she yelled at us some more, and then that nice guy tried calming her down again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at us!"

While Yang was blinking in surprise and confusion at the rapid-fire delivery, Cobalt said nonchalantly, "Yup, that's basically what happened."

Meanwhile, Riley was looking behind Ruby with a very nervous expression. "Uhh, Ruby?" she started while pointing behind the reaper.

"_YOU TWO!"_

The sudden shout caused Ruby to panic and jump into Cobalt's arms screaming, "Oh, God, it's happening again!" The abrupt change in positioning caused Cobalt and Yang to don surprised grimaces. While Riley looked upon the scene with a kind of surprised amusement. After a few short moments, Ruby realized the position she put her old friend into and put on a fairly sheepish expression.

As Cobalt turned his head from the scared reaper currently in his arms, his eyes almost immediately narrowed as he gazed upon the not-so-pleasurable sight of that grumpy white heiress from before. Though right next to her was that nice brown-ette from before, with another apologetic look on his face.

"You two are lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss practically hissed at the pair.

Yang's eyes became as wide as dinner plates as she turned to Cobalt and Ruby in horrified realization. "Oh, my God, you guys really exploded."

As Cobalt calmly lowered his friend out of his arms, Russet sighed in exasperation, "Weiss, I keep telling you, it wasn't her fault; it was an _accident_." he stated.

Riley shook herself out of her stunned stupor, "Wait, didn't Ruby say Cobalt's hat was blown off?"

"It was, it was just blown straight up somehow." the hybrid explained with a small chuckle. While this gained a small rise out of both Riley and Yang, it also garnered a small scoff and clearing of the throat from the heiress. Turning towards Weiss, he began scowling again.

As Cobalt calmly lowered his friend out of his arms, Russet sighed in exasperation, "Weiss, I keep telling you, it wasn't her fault; it was an _accident_." he stated. Weiss only spared him a fairly cryptic stare for his comment, then darted her head back to her targets and whipped out a pair of pamphlets in their faces.

"What's this" Ruby asked in confused curiosity, while Cobalt gave a 'Hmm?' in the same tone while tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, dear God." Russet muttered in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had seen those pamphlets before and figured he knew what was coming.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product." Weiss rambled to Cobalt and Ruby in what was basically a legal disclaimer. And she continued unaware of the fact that, to the confused and horrified pair, she sounded more and more like a fast-talking mouse that inhaled helium as she kept going. "Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."

"Uuhhh…" Cobalt and Ruby uttered in unison, with the reaper still adorning her nervously bewildered expression and with the hybrid's eyes spinning all over the place in confusion before shaking his head to reorient himself.

"Do you two really wanna start making things up to me?" the heiress sharply asked the pair.

"Absolutely?" was Ruby's immediate, yet still nervous response.

While Cobalt's answer was a frank, "Not really, no."

"Read these and never speak to me again." Weiss said plainly to the two, with a fairly intense glare directed towards Cobalt.

Hearing this, Riley scoffed, "Well aren't you just a perfect ray of sunshine!" Of course, this statement only served to make Weiss even angrier. And that never ends well.

Before the situation could escalate, Russet let out yet another sigh of exasperated frustration and everyone turned their attention to him as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. "Look, guys, maybe we all just got off on the wrong foot here." he began, stepping in front of his friend. "I have an idea: How about we all start over and just try to be friends here, alright?" the brown-ette suggested, causing Yang to send him a look that basically screamed 'Thank you!'

"And just _how_ do you suggest we go about that, Russet?" Weiss asked the young man, her tone and gaze highly critical.

Russet turned to the heiress, with a surprisingly light-hearted gleam in his golden eyes. "Simple, like this." he said as he turned to Cobalt and held out his hand. "Hello, there. My name's Russet Harper." the young man stated politely.

Cobalt looked curiously at the offered hand, then to Russet. After a few short moments, he gave a small, grateful smile and grasped the extended appendage in a firm handshake while politely tipping his hat with the other hand. "Cobalt Thompson, pleased to meetcha." Russet's response was a nod in the affirmative and a small smile, then he presented his hand to Riley.

"And you are?" he asked the purplette.

Not one to leave anyone hanging, Riley also gave Russet a firm shake. "Riley Porfiro, at your service." she said with yet another friendly smile and a wink.

"Alright, then." was Russet's nervously pleased response. He then gestured to Ruby and Weiss. "Now you two try."

Ruby was the first to respond. "Alright!" she affirmed before clearing her throat and holding out her hand. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!" she said in a tone that was so overly friendly and nice it made Cobalt and Yang give each other nervous glances.

Putting on one of her many smiling masks, Weiss responded with, "Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and _scraggly_ over there!" she said sarcastically, pointing to Jaune, who perked up in interest at someone referring to him. Then she leveled her critical eye at Cobalt. "Or your rednecked, Faunus, farmboy yokel here!" she finished in a voice that didn't even try to hide any maliciousness.

The results of that outburst varied. Russet put his face in his hands in exasperation again. Riley flinched in angered shock. Cobalt recoiled with a perplexed yet indignant expression. While Yang and Ruby visibly became outraged at the heiress's gall, Yang's usual lilac eyes even started burning a fiery red and her aura started flaring up around her like flames.

"Hey! No one talks about our friend like that!" the sisters shouted in angered unison. With the sudden increase in hostility, Weiss instinctively reached for her rapier, Myrtenaster. Riley noticed this and readied herself to pull a quickdraw with her revolver.

But before the situation could escalate, Cobalt interjected the tension."Hmm, I have to hand it to ya' for creativity; that insult's a first." This surprising quip of course caused the whole group to look upon him with shock. But then he sighed in exasperation and crossed his arms. "Except; One, I'm here as a student so I'm not a 'yokel'. Two, I'm not a farmboy anymore. Three, I'm a hybrid. And four, I'm a _cowboy_, not a redneck; big difference." he proudly stated. "And that difference is _this,_" he continued. "Cowboys herd cattle and ride horses, the last of which I'm actually pretty good at. While rednecks herd beer and ride-" before he could finish that line of thought, he was interrupted by Yang sharply elbowing him in his side.

"Hey, what're ya'-" Cobalt protested before he saw Yang jerk a thumb to the youngest and most innocent of their little cadre. "Oh." he realized Well, I'll just, uh, leave that last one for you to finish." he said awkwardly.

While Riley was snickering, Weiss was slightly aghast at the hybrid's attempted joke. And Russet, while visibly somewhat impressed with Cobalt's shutting down of Weiss's insult, was staring at him with a small gleam of horrified humor. Ruby, however, was completely confused. "Uh, what?"

"Me or Cobalt will tell you about it when you're older, sis." Yang said, putting an arm around her sister's shoulder.

"No, you won't." Ruby said slowly, giving both her sister and friend an unsure look.

"You're right, we won't" Cobalt stated flatly to his red reaper friend.

Before the situation could delve into even more hostile awkwardness, the small crowd heard the sound of a throat being cleared and the feedback of a microphone. They looked to the stage and saw Professor Ozpin, he was ready to make the orientation speech.

"I'll... keep this brief." he began. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."

That last bit caused a quiet uproar in the student audience. And while our group didn't join in on the whispering, they were certainly surprised by the assertion. But they weren't allowed to think on it for too long as Ozpin continued.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." he finished as he swept his all-knowing gaze over the young, confused masses before he turned stage right.

As the silver-haired headmaster exited the stage, the woman from the hologram on the ship, Glynda Goodwitch, stepped up to the microphone. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." she announced.

After Goodwitch's piece was said, most of the students in the auditorium decided it was time to file out. However, our little group was still in their spots, silently contemplating Ozpin's words. "...Well that was a little weird." Cobalt stated plainly.

Yang turned to him and nodded. "You're telling me. He seemed kind of… off."

"Yeah, it's almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby said.

"Well, with someone like him, that's not surprising." Riley quietly stated, carrying a solemn, pondering expression on her face. And not even ten seconds after her comment, a familiar face decided to show himself by slyly sliding up next to Weiss.

"I'm a natural blond, you know!" Jaune said to Weiss in an attempt to be suave. And judging by the fact that Weiss lightly palmed her forehead in exasperation, it didn't work.

Russet looked at the blond swordsman with a curious eye. "Aren't you the poor sod who threw up on the ship?"

* * *

_A few hours later…_

To say that the Beacon ballroom was currently a mess would be a slight understatement. The floor was basically a sea of occupied and unoccupied sleeping bags with all the first-years either mingling with their friends, new and old, or just hanging around.

Among that sea was Ruby, who was currently sprawled out on her sleeping bag with her eye-mask on her forehead and in her pajamas, and writing on a piece of paper. And right next to her was Cobalt, Riley, and, surprisingly, Russet. He figured that Weiss needed some time and space to herself after the, er, explosive events.

As Ruby was writing, Riley, in her purple blouse and black shorts, was regaling a fairly colorful story to Cobalt, in his white t-shirt and dark blue pants, and Russet, in his brown long-sleeved shirt and dark brown pants.

"And so I told him, 'No, I left that pack right where I found it!'" the purplette said, finishing her tale.

Russet grimaced, "That's disgusting."

"I know, right? I never did see him again after that. Probably for the better." she replied, shrugging and chuckling all the while.

Cobalt, however, simply shrugged. "Eh, I've seen and heard worse hanging around Yang and Red, here." he stated, pointing a thumb at Ruby. "Heh, trust me. You don't want to know how many ways a Beowolf's jaw can bend."

"One time, Cobalt. It happened one time." the pajama-clad red-ette responded flatly, neither missing a beat nor taking her eyes off her paper. And before Cobalt could enunciate on that experience, Yang, clad in her own pajamas, decided to drop by.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang happily exclaimed as she dropped onto her sleeping bag, right next to Ruby.

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though." the pajama-clad reaper responded, again not taking her eyes off her paper.

Cobalt chuckled, "Oh, I _know_ he wouldn't. He barely approved of me being in the same room as you two the first time I slept over at your place."

"Well, I know _I _approve!" she said, looking over to the other side of the ballroom at a group of muscular, shirtless guys and purring with an appreciative grin.

Riley giggled, "Same here." She then hooked her arms around Cobalt's and Russet's necks and brought them in. "But what about our two stud-muffins here? Surely, deserve some attention, don't you think?" she asked with a sly smile and a wink.

Although the statement was currently making both of the young men in question turn beat red, they looked at each other in confusion. "Stud-muffins?" they questioned in unison.

This brought a laugh out of Yang, of course. "Oh, believe me, I _am_ checking out the goods." she said foxily, giving a very suggestive wink to Cobalt in particular. Unsurprisingly, this caused the poor hybrid to turn an impossibly darker shade of red and start stammering incoherently. After letting out another laugh at the cowboy's response, she turned her gaze back to the group she was admiring moments before, that is, until she saw something that made her groan in slight disgust.

Curious, Riley, Cobalt, and Russet, the latter two being released from Riley's headlocks, decided to see what made Yang so repulsed. When they did, the first person to respond after a few moments was Russet. "Is Jaune wearing footy pajamas? And are those _bunny slippers_?" he asked incredulously.

"Russet, the next time you and me meet Vomit-Boy again, we are confiscatin' his Man Card." Cobalt stated flatly, turning to his brown-haired friend. Surprisingly, he nodded in agreement.

While Yang was amused at this interaction, she suddenly realized that out of their group, Ruby was being the quietest. Then she noticed what her little sister was doing. "Anyways, what's that?" she asked.

"Just a letter to the rest of the gang back at Signal." Ruby answered, finally seeming to perk up and also gaining Cobalt's full attention. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going." she continued, gaining a hum in amused approval from her hybrid friend.

But she also got an "Aw, that's so _cuuuute_!" from her broadly grinning sister. Ruby responded in kind by launching one of her pillows and nailed Yang square in her mug.

"Shut up!" the reaper cried indignantly. "Except for Cobalt, I didn't get to take my friends with me here! It's weird not knowing anyone here!" she stated dejectedly.

"Hey!" Riley protested. "What about me, Russet and Navajo?"

"Yeah! They're cool!" Yang continued for the resident purplette. "And Jaune's…. nice! There you go! Plus four friends!" she stated with a grin.

"A whole four hundred percent increase in one day! I think that's a new record for you." Cobalt interjected with a playfully happy smile.

Ruby still looked crestfallen, though, as she flipped herself over to rest on her back. "I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. So it's back to my old record of three."

It was then that Russet decided to add his two cents. "Well technically, there's no such thing as a negative friend. So you've made four friends, one being myself, and one enemy. I'd say that's a pretty good margin" he stated. Ruby, however, still didn't look convinced of her success.

Cobalt sighed, "C'mon, Red. You can't lose heart over just the _first day_." the hybrid said reassuringly.

Yang nodded in agreement. "He's right. Trust us; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!" she stated, unknowingly mirroring what Jaune had said to Ruby and Cobalt only hours earlier.

Ruby stared at the ballroom ceiling for a few moments, mulling over what her friends had said. Then, a small, thankful smile grew on her face as she sat up and looked at her friends and sister. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, guys." she said.

Just then, the group noticed that someone had lit a candle just a short ways away. They looked to the source and Cobalt, Ruby, and Russet almost immediately recognized it's owner. "Oh, hey, it's that girl." Cobalt uttered in slight surprise. It was the same bow-wearing, ebony-haired, young lady from earlier that morning; she was dressed in a black yukata and apparently very invested in a book at the moment.

"Yeah…" Ruby muttered in agreement.

Yang shifted her curious gaze to the hybrid and her sister. "You two know her?"

"Not really. She saw what happened this morning, but left before either of us could say anything."

At this, Yang looked at Cobalt, who sighed and gave her the 'go ahead' gesture. The blonde brawler then smiled and declared, "Well, now's your chance!" before grabbing Ruby's arm and hauling her up despite her protests.

As Yang dragged her struggling younger sister over to the mysterious girl, Cobalt looked to his two new friends. "You two wanna come along?"

"Sure! This looks like it could be fun!" Riley answered with a smile.

Russet shrugged, "Might as well, don't have anything else to do and I don't want to be left alone." he reasoned.

As the trio moved to catch up to the sisters, Riley decided to ask Cobalt something that had been on her mind since the airship. "Hey, Cobalt, you know Ruby and Yang pretty well, right?"

"You wanna know why they have different last names, don't ya'?" the cowboy asked, surprising Riley. Then he gave a small chuckle, "Like I said before, it's a long story and it's not my place to tell it. If you really wanna know, talk to Yang. But whether or not she tells ya' is up to her, alright?" he finished with a surprising air of finality and solemnity.

Before Riley could give a proper answer, however, the group was very nearly with it's small commute. Russet noticed that as they approached, the black-haired girl calmly looked over her book and widened her amber eyes in surprise at the amount of people coming to her.

"Hel-loooo! I believe you guys may know each other!" Yang cheerfully greeted the mystery girl as she released Ruby's arm.

The girl in black looked at Ruby and Cobalt in a slightly critical gaze. "Aren't you two the ones that exploded?" Then she looked to Russet, eying him with a certain kind of scrutiny. "And weren't you that guy who was with that Schnee girl?"

"Uh, yeah! That was us!" the young reaper nervously began. Shaking her head, she tried once more, "My name's Ruby! The one who was with me is Cobalt and the other guy's Russet!" she greeted with nervous smile, and with Cobalt giving a two-fingered salute with a smirk and Russet nodding at the mention of their names.

The mystery girl simply muttered, "Okay." and went right back to her book.

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered to her sister, frustrated with her social weakness.

"I don't know - **help me**!" Ruby hissed back, breaking her smiling facade to glare at her blonde sister.

Yang grimaced, but decided to go along with her younger sister's wishes. "So… what's your name?"

"Blake." she said, sighing in uninterested irritation with her eyes turning right back to her book that to her seemed more clever than her current company.

Yang, however, pressed on. "Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!" she stated with a fairly awkward grin. And after a few short moments looking for a conversation piece, her lilac eyes turned to Blake's headpiece. "I like your bow!"

"Thanks!" Blake answered, not taking her eyes off her book and obviously becoming more and more irritated with each passing minute.

But again, Yang continued, either not noticing the other girl's growing annoyance or not caring. "It goes great with your… pajamas!" Meanwhile, Russet and Riley were off to the side watching this trainwreck of an introduction play out, with Riley _trying_ to hold in her laughter and Russet having a very perplexed expression.

"Right…" Blake replied in annoyed hesitation.

Not knowing what else to talk about, Yang darted her eyes around the room to the rest of the group, her eyes pleading for help. What she got was this: sheepish shrugs from Cobalt and Russet, a nervous smile from Ruby, and a 'don't look at me' gesture from Riley who was quickly losing her self-control.

Finally, the blonde brawler decided to just wing it. "Er, nice night, don't you think?"

Blake, nearing the end of her patience, tightened her grip on the poor book and replied, "Yes-it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book! That I will continue to read. As soon as you leave!"

At this point Yang basically gave up. "Yeah, this girl's a lost cause." Ruby, however suddenly gained a very interested gleam in her eyes.

Cobalt let out a nervous chuckle in agreement, "Yeah, this was probably a bad idea. Maybe we should-"

Before Cobalt could finish, Ruby decided to voice her interest. "What's it about?"

Surprised and somewhat confused by her question, Blake looked up at the pajama-clad reaper. "Huh?"

"Your book. Does it have a name?" Ruby asked with a smile, clarifying to Blake as well as the rest of the group, who all had similar expressions as the bow-wearer at the moment, even Riley.

"Well... i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body." Blake answered, gaining some interest from Russet.

"Ah, I remember reading that one, good book. You have good taste." the bespectacled young man stated with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah... That's real lovely!" Yang scoffed sarcastically, rolling her eyes nervously.

"I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed." Ruby said, stepping forward with a nostalgic smile. "Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"

The group then heard chuckling coming from Riley and turned to her. "Sorry, it's just that that's the same deal for me." she explained. Then she turned and gave a small wave to Blake, "I'm Riley, by the way."

"Okay," the bookworm responded before turning back to Ruby with a fairly small smile. "And why's that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" she asked, laughing a little.

Ruby smiled and nodded in sincere affirmation. "Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!" By the end of the monologue, both Cobalt and Yang could tell that Ruby was finally starting to feel confident in her standing at Beacon and the two quickly donned proud smiles. Russet and Riley were also becoming visibly impressed with the younger girl.

Even Blake was pleasantly surprised with Ruby's sincere optimism and began showing a proper smile. "That's... very ambitious for a child." Then her smile changed to a concerned, almost mournful frown. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

Ruby nodded in agreement with the quieter girl, but her smile never faltered. "Well, that's why we're here! To make it better." she replied optimistically.

Cobalt started chuckling warmly at his friend's answer. "There you are, Red. Where the hell have you been?" he asked her with a tender smile. Russet and Riley were also feeling a little swept up in the moment with small, kind smiles adorning both their faces.

Then Yang brought herself back into the picture. "Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" she cried happily as she rushed forward and began crushing said sister in one of her signature bear-hugs.

Of course, Ruby did what any smart person would do in her situation: try to get out of it. Her way of doing so wasn't exactly orthodox, however. "Hey, cut it out!" she cried before landing a punch straight to Yang's face. The scene degenerated very quickly from there, eventually devolving into nothing more than a big dust cloud, with the only things coming from it being the sound of the sisters' "fight" and, er, cat noises, somehow.

As for the rest of the party, they looked upon the scene before them with heavily amused expressions. "And there goes the moment." Russet commented before turning to Cobalt. "Have they always been like this?"

The hybrid chuckled happily. "Yep! And I wouldn't have it any other way!" he stated cheerfully. As the commotion in front of them dragged on, Cobalt turned to Blake with a very curious gleam in his light blue eyes. "Okay, Blake, I know this is gonna sound weird, but have we met somewhere before?"

The still-mysterious Blake took on a very perplexed expression at Cobalt's question. "...No, I don't think so."

"Really? 'Cause I swear to god, I've seen you somewhere." Cobalt stated before contorting his face in thought for a few moments. During that time, Russet noticed Blake was staring at Cobalt with obvious curiosity and a very subtle gleam of… worry? Eventually, the hybrid shrugged nonchalantly, "Eh, nevermind. I'm sure it'll come to me eventually." he resolved before returning his attention to the fighting sisters in front of him, who still showed no signs of even slowing down.

"Okay." Blake said, chuckling as she also looked back to the sibling struggle, smiling. "Well, everyone, it's a pleasure to ha-"

"What in the world is going on over here?!" A familiar voice suddenly cried out, causing Cobalt to jump in surprise and the fight to stop, leaving Yang with her leg trapped by Ruby. Then they noticed a familiar white-haired girl dressed in a faded blue sleeping gown coming towards them and looking very cross, again. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"

"Here we go again." Russet sighed in exasperation as Weiss and Yang recognized each other and started yet another altercation.

"Should we, uuuh…?" Cobalt asked, nudging his bespectacled friend and gesturing towards the arguing ladies in front of them.

Russet shook his head, "No, I don't think our intervention would help. Besides, I think it would be better for them to resolve this conflict themselves."

"You sure about that?" Riley asked, turning to Russet with an unsure expression. He nodded. "Alright, if you say so." she said, still skeptical.

Just then, Ruby and Yang unintentionally decided to bring their situation to the forefront of their attention. "I've always been on your side!" the redette protested at Weiss.

"Yeah! What's your problem with my sister?!" Yang demanded to the ice-cold heiress. "She's only trying to be nice!" she continued, angrily placing her hands on her hips.

"She and her mongrel friend are hazards to my health!" Weiss accused, once again causing the sisters to flare up in anger. Cobalt responded with a spiteful glare and flatly cleared his throat, but this was mostly brushed off by the heiress. Blake, really not wanting to get involved, rolled her eyes in exasperation and blew out her candles; coincidentally, the lights for the rest of the room went out pretty much the exact same time the candles did.

The group and Weiss almost immediately took the hint and started carefully sauntering back to their sleeping bags with Cobalt taking the lead for the party due to his Faunus night-vision. Then, Riley spoke up. "I just realized: we haven't seen Navajo all day. Where do you guys think he is?" she asked.

And as if on cue, Cobalt tripped over someone who was lying down on their back, accidentally kicking the poor sod in his side. When the hybrid looked to see who he fell over, he sighed and put on a sheepishly apologetic smile. "He's right here, Riley. Sorry about that, Nav."

The poor giant groaned as he clutched his side. "It's alright, just try to be more careful."

* * *

**AN: Ugh, sorry! Shite, I'm terrible at update speed. Damn my forgetful and lazy demeanor! And Dragon Age, damn that too! Well, at least I'm done with high school. But real life is really gonna kick in for me in a few days…. Anyways, what'd you guys think? Good? Bad? Little in between? Let me know! **


	7. AN: Explanations & New Developments

**Hey guys! Dr. Schadenfreude here. I know, it's been a long-ass time since last I updated this story, but I hope you'll let me explain myself.**

**Short version, I moved out of my state to a different state (California to Montana) to gain residency to help pay for the university I want to go to. Now, this wouldn't be too good of an explanation if I moved here with my family, but since I didn't… Yeah. I've had to get a job and make almost daily commutes on a bike through snow the past couple of months. And don't forget the fact that only having a job at a restaurant means that your work schedule is kind of at the mercy of your manager and the job itself being kinda soul-crushing… Oh well, at least my co-workers are usually nice to talk to when it's slow.**

**Also, I found that my drive to write the story as it is has withered a bit. It's proved to be a bit of a chore to make my characters have their inputs while staying true to the canon of the show. I think I can only attribute the quality of the last couple of chapters to luck, unfortunately. I just haven't been able to find ways to make my story sing and dance. And I also realized that I had planned more for the long run of the story rather than focusing on the "here and now" at the time.**

**But, that doesn't mean that this story's dead. Far from it.**

**I had a couple interactions with a few friends about a month or two back and those gave me a new idea. I could rewrite the story.**

**What I mean is, rewriting not just to fix grammar, but to change the story itself almost completely. The biggest changes being including another OC Team or two, and relegating most of, if not all, the canon characters to the sidelines. Essentially, the story becomes almost solely focused on OCs.**

**Personally, I think that this would be better for both me and the story. Especially in terms of being original. From what I've seen, there are too few OC-centric stories on this site that aren't simply OCxCanon stories. Not that all those stories are bad, mind you. In fact, there are some that are very well-written. But there aren't too many stories that are focused mainly on OCs and their stories. I think it'd be better for me since I'd have to make up new scenarios for my characters and the other characters to develop and not just essentially piggyback off the canon storyline and characters.**

**Of course, what the rewrite would entail would be scrapping the last two chapters and the 2nd and 3rd prologues (Russet's and Cobalt's since I also kinda did a rehaul of their backstories too). So if you guys don't want that, let me know and I'll keep this story up while performing the rewrite on a different story, I just won't be updating this one.**

**Well, that's all I've got to say; what do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? I'm a horrible person who should just get off of writing stories? Let me know and I will see all of you the next chance I get! Arrivederci~!**


	8. AN: Expanded Explanations & A Promise

...Eh, hehehe, hey guys. Been a while hasn't it?

...

Okay, time for a proper explanation. Sorry I didn't tell you all before but... Eh, actually, I don't know why I didn't tell you this before.

Anyway, the reason I gave for the hiatus is still the big one, but that was only half of the whole. The other half of the reason for my time off? Simple, I joined the Army. National Guard to be exact.

I left for Basic about mid-April, and graduated late June. Currently, I'm at Fort Sam Houston for my AIT (Advanced Individual Training). My job? 68W: Combat Medic. So yeah, I guess you could say that I've been pretty busy the past few months.

Regardless, I'm still REALLY sorry that I haven't gotten back to writing this story. But, with me going back home in a month and a half, I guess you could say that fairly soon, I should be back on track. So make sure you guys stay posted, alright? I'll make sure that the next update will be a real treat!

Anyway, with that said, I'm Dr. Schadenfreude, and I'll see you all later. Fall out!


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